Percussion fuse for projectiles, aerial bombs, and the like



Nov. 22, 1927. 1,650,300

' L. E. REMONDY PERCUSSION FUSE FOR PROJECTILES, AERIAL BOMBS, AND THE LIKE Filed 0Ot.2l, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a a 2 M F D B a a 1. a 1 D A M 0 1 10A 0 F 4 MM MA. 2 B f 1 W 1., v E E E E E a a z 3. i- .0 1 m .2; B 1 E r y 1 a 6 a. E a C A F A 1. F 3 D D a E f/ a 1 q V B N m z 1 a a B A E Nov. 22, 1927.

L. E. REMONDY PERcussIoN FUSE FOR PROJECTILES, AERIAL BOMBS, AND THE Lima Filed Oct.2l. 192.6 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 22, 1927.

UNITED STATES LEON EMILE nnivroivny, or rams, FRANCE.

PERCUSSION FUSE FOE PROJECTILES, AERIAL BOMBS, AND THE LIKE.

Application filed October 21, 1926, Serial No. 143,260, and in France December 17, 1925.

This invention relates to fuses for projectiles and more particularly to percussion fuses for use in projectiles of the types adapted to be fired from a gun or dropped from an aeroplane.

One of the objects offthe present invention is to provide an improved fuse of the type disclosed in my Patent Nos. 1359,0753, dated June 19, 1923, and 1,562,054, dated November 17 1925.

I The fuse of the present invention is of the type embodying primer and striker elements that are'longitudinally disposed in substantial alinement in the fuse body, the forward one of said elements (preferably the striker) being normally held against movement relative tothe rearwardly disposed element (preferably the primer or percussion cap) by suitable means which imparts the movement of the projectile to said forwardly d1sposed element. Upon impact of the pro ectile with its objective, the said means s rendered inoperative by a suitable lmpact transmitting member and the forwardly disposed element is released and the latter now moves with the residual speed 1) of the impact transmitting member, which speed may be zero if the objective offers sufficient resistance. The projectile, however, with the rearwardlydisposed element continues its travel at its speed 4) whereupon the primer and striker are engaged one with the other with a force which is proportional to one-half m (V v) m being the mass of the forwardly disposed element.

Various forms of the invention are 11- lustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 is a sectionalelevation of a projectile fuse, according to the inventiomthe members being shown at rest.

Figure 2 is a corresponding sectional elevation showing the members in the position they occupy at the moment the mechanism operates as a result of an encounter with an obstacle.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation showing the application of the invention to a projectile of the bomb type, the members being shown at rest. 7

Figure 4r is a corresponding elevation showing the members in'the position they occupy at. the moment of cperatien of the fuse resulting from impact with an obstacle offering little or a medium amount of resistance.

Figure 5 is a corresponding sectional elevat on, showing the operation of the fuse against an obstacle offering considerable resistance.

Figure 6 shows, in sectional elevation, a modified form of the invention applied to a bomb, the members being. shown in the position of rest. I l

Figure 7 shows the operation of this fuse against an obstacle offering little or a medium amount of resistance.

In these figures: A is a fuse body in which the rear element B, preferably the percus- SlOIl cap, as shown in the drawing, is made to follow the movements of the said fuse body and consequently the movements of the projectile.

The front element of the mechanism, preferably the striker C. as shown in the drawing, is normally held apart from the percussion cap B by a removable member, such as a pin C and ifdesired a spring C of the type disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1.459.- 075, or any other suitable compressible member.

The characteristic fe ture of this new fuse, is that the mechanism is combined w th an impact transm tting member D normally retained on the fuse body or on the projectile. for example by a nin D This membar. which, until an obstacle is stru k, s tied to the. movements of the p ojectile. is released from the latter under t e e e t f t e impact against the obstacle. throuq'h the r moval or shearing of the ret inin member D and can thu .-immerliatelv or after having effected an nward movement into the fuse body transmit to the striker the action produced by the obstacle. that is to sav. destrov or reduce the speed of the striker by releasing it from the restraint of the pin C 7 It goes without saying that the action of the speed V of the projectile, takes-up a speed a which is considerably lower or is zero, according to the degree reelstanee tarded or stopped striker and the percus-.

sion cap, the force of which impact will be a function of'1/2 m (V'v) "In the example shown in Figures 1 and 2, that is to say, in the case of the application of the fuse to a projectile which is to be fired against obstacles of small resistance, such as the envelopes of balloons or the wings of aeroplanes, the impacttransmittmg member D may be very light, andmay consist, for example, of a thin metal cup presenting'to the obstacle a very wide contact surface this cup may be normally held on the fuse body A by a pin D or by a spring D causing a flange (Z provided on the said cup to bear against a shoulder a of the fuse. If desired both the pin D and a weak spring 11 ,01" any other compressible mem her, may be used.

' body Underthe action of an impact with an obstacle, even a very light one, such as the fabric of an aeroplane, the cup D, which may be made to proj ect'slightly overthe fuse A will be stopped, so that its speed which till then was the same as the speed V of the projectile, will be immediately reduced to a value '0, equal or approximately equal to zero, while the projectile continues its movement at the speed V, which causes the pin D to be sheared'and the spring D to'be compressed. As soon as the cup D, with the remaining part of the pin D or with its end, strikes the striker C, the pin C is sheared, which renders the striker C independent of the fuse body A. The

striker .is then in its turn stopped, while the forward movement, thus allowing' the striker and percussion cap to meet with a force which is a function of 1/2-m (V'-v) as mentioned above. I

While the fuse is extremely sensitive when the speed V of the projectileis high r it cannot-operate in the event of the projeccannot take place under the i simply caused the striker to penetrate slightlyv into its lodgment, the distance thus tile'remaining in the bore of the gun, which stoppage at the same'time destroys or re-' tards the speed of advance of the percussion cap Band of the striker C, as the operation action of the mass of the striker alone. above, the impact-between the cup D and the striker'C cannot directlypro'ducethe operationiof'the mechanism. This impact has travelledbeing much less than is sufficient retarded or projectile continues its As mentioned to bring the striker into contact with the percussion cap.

With regard to the fuse described and illustrated in U. S. Patents Nos. 1,&59,075 and 1,562,054., the new fuse presents the advantage of cutting out the use of a containerfor the whole of the striker and percussion cap by substituting for this container a light impact transmitting member D.

Instead of separate removable members, C for the retention of the striker, and D for the retention of'the impact transmitting member, it would be possible to employ a' 7 single removable or displaceable *member, such as an ordinary pin passing through the. whole of the striker C and the cup D. First a shearing of'the pin would be produced under the action of the blow received by the transmitting member,.then a further shearing for the release of the striker.

In order to adapt the fuse forming the subject of-the invention for use in a. bomb,

it is sufficient to transform the suspension; 7

member of the bomb into an impacttrans mltting member. Figures 3 to. 5inclusive.

show such an embodiment ofthe invention.-

There is again a rear element, preferably.

the percussion cap B, stationary-in the fuse body A and a the striker C, normally front element, preferably held on the fusebody by a displaceable member such as a pin C 1 or embodied by means such as a pin C and aspring C, but if desired'the pin C may be omitted. The impact transmitting memher will in this case be formed by the rod E of the suspension hook;

Any outward movement of the hook will be rendered impossible, for example-by a small screw-threaded sleeve F screwed into the fuse body A ,-while normally any inward movement such as results from impact against an obstacle, will be prevented by a washer E held by its rim between the sleeve F and a nutE screwed on to the rod E.

:An additional safety device, which will only be displaced the moment the bomb is dropped may, in the known manner consist of a collar G interposed between a project ing base 0 formed on the suspension hook and the front edge or face of thefuse body A this collar, which is made of two parts, being adapted to open for its ejection or its retention on the aircraft, either under the action of the fall of the projectile, or under, the action of a pull exerted by hand or me chanically'on the collar itself, As shown in Figure 4:, if the bomb, ejected after the disengagement of the safety'collar G, falls on to an obstacle offering a medium or'smallamount of resistance, the washer E is sheared, which enables the suspension hook and its rod, the movement of which is retardedby the shock, topenetrate into the fuse body and to strike the rod of-the striker C, thus producingthe release of the latter,

5) the impact between the percussion cap B and the striker C which is retarded or stopped, will take place during the crushing of the projecting part of the suspension member.-

' In the example shown in Figures 6 and 7, the front element of the mechanism which consists preferably of the striker C, is lodged in a cavity at the rear end of the rod E and is normally retained withdrawn in this cavity by a spring C lVhen an obstacle offering small or medium amount of resistance is encountered, the impact transmitting suspension member, after having sheared the retaining washer E strikes against the bottom of the lodgment a formed in thefuse body A From this moment, the said suspension member is carried along by the projectile, Whilst the independent striker compresses by its inertia, the spring C and projects out of its lodgment in the rod E, which permits the percussion cap B to strike it with a force which is a function, as in the preceding example, of m (V u) I In the form of construction shown in Figures 3 to 5, the suspension member which forms the impact transmitting member, may, of course, comprise an extension which is in contact or nearly in contact with the rod of the striker, in such a manner as to render more rapid the shearing of the pin C as soon as the inward movement of the suspension member is produced, after the shearing of the washer E Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is 1. A percussion fuse for a projectile comprising a fuse body, primer and striker elements arranged in front and rear positions in said body, the rearward one of said elements being immovably secured to said body, a resilient member intermediate said elements, means normally holding said front element from movement relative to said rearward element, said means being adapted to transmit the movement of said body to said front element, an impact transmitting member carried by said body, and means normally preventing movement of said impact member relative to said body, the impact of the projectile with an objective resulting in rendering said last named means ineffective and permitting movement of said impact member to render said first named means inoperative.

2. In a fuse for projectiles of the type embodying a fuse body and primer and striker elements longitudinally disposed in substantial alinement in said body, the rearwardly disposed one of said elements being fixedly secured to the fuse body and the forwardly positioned one being slidably mounted therein, means normally preventing relative movement between said elements, an impacttransmitting member slidably carried by said body and having a portion extending outwardly from said body, and means normally holding said impact member against movement relative to said body, the impact of the projectile with its objective acting to render said last named means inoperative and acting through said impact member to render said first named means inoperative.

3. A fuse of thetype embodying a fuse body and primer and striker elements longitudinally disposed in substantial alinement in said body, the rearwardly positioned one of saidelements being fixedly secured to said body and the forwardly disposed one being adapted for sliding movement in the body, an impact transmitting member carried by said body, and means normally preventing movement of said impact member and the forwardly disposed one of said elements relative to said fuse body, the impact of the fuse with an obstacle acting to render said means inoperative and to produce engagement of said elements.

4. In a bomb fuse of the type embodying a fuse body and primer and striker elements longitudinally disposed in substantial alinement in said body, means normally preventing relative movement between said elements, an impact transmitting member carrid by said body, means preventing movement of the impact member outwardly from the body, and frangible means for preventing movement of the impact member inwardly relative to the body, the impact of the bomb with an obstacle acting to render said first named means and the frangible means inoperative.

5. In a bomb fuse of the type embodying a fuse body and'primer and striker elements longitudinally disposed in substantial alinement in said body, means normally preventing relative movement between said primer and striker elements, a suspension hook carried by said body, and frangible means normally preventing movement of the hook relative to the body, the impact of the hook with an obstacle acting to render said first named means and said frangible means inoperative and to permit relative movement between the primer and striker elements.

6. In a fuse of the type embodying a fuse body and primer and striker elements longitudinally disposed in substantial alinement in said body, the rearwardly disposed one of said elements being fixedly secured to the fuse body and the forwardly positioned one of said elements being adapted for sliding movement in said body, yielding means normally preventing relative movement of the forwardly positioned element relative tothe rearwardly positioned-element, a suspension hookcarried by the fuse body and projecting therefrom, and a frangibledisk for preventing movement of the hook inwardly relative to the fuse body, impact of'the hook with an obstacle acting to render said disk and yielding means inoperative, whereby movement of the hook and-forwardly positioned element relative to the fuse body is permitted. 4 I

7. In a fuse of the type embodying a fuse bodyand primer and striker elements longitudinally disposed in substantial alinement' sitioned one of said elements being mounted I in said impact member, yielding means nor mally preventing movement of the forwardly positioned element relative to said impact member and the rearwardly positioned element, frangible means normally preventing movement of the impact member inwardly relative to the fuse body, and means for preventing movement of the impact member outwardly relative to the fuse body.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

, LEON EMILE REMONDY'. 

